Detroit is a city on the rise. Over the past decade, we’ve seen rising household incomes, a growing population of young professionals and families, and billions of dollars in private investment transforming our neighborhoods and downtown. Yet, one critical sector has not kept pace: retail.
Across the city, residents are asking for more places to dine, shop, and access everyday goods and services. Commercial corridors with strong foot traffic and growing residential density still have too many vacant storefronts and too few retailers meeting local demand.
That gap is not a challenge - it is one of the greatest retail opportunities in the country, and my administration is moving to close it.
Our goal is clear: to make Detroit the easiest, most predictable, and most attractive city in America for retail investment. To lead that effort, I am appointing Detroit’s first-ever Director of Retail Attraction, a dedicated position focused solely on helping retailers succeed in our city.
This new role will work directly with national and regional brands, local entrepreneurs, property owners, and developers to reduce barriers, accelerate site selection, and help streamline the process of opening in Detroit. Simply put, we are making it easier to do business here.
The case for Detroit is strong and straightforward. As Michigan’s largest city, Detroit represent significant untapped demand across grocery, home goods, apparel, dining, and essential services. Neighborhoods such as Livernois/McNichols, East Warren/Cadieux, and Northwest/Grand River offer established commercial corridors, strong community identity, and growing customer bases, yet remain underserved by quality retail.
Downtown Detroit continues to attract millions of visitors annually while adding new residents, employers, and office tenants, creating even greater demand for destination shopping and neighborhood-serving businesses alike.
National retailers are already responding. Alo, Apple, Free People, Timberland, Tecovas, and other major brands have recently chosen downtown Detroit for expansion. These are not isolated wins—they are strong market signals. Retailers with options are choosing Detroit because three things are true about our city: strong consumer demand, strategic location, and a market that is still far from saturated.